OXFORD – One of the largest bee distributors in New York State is located right in Chenango County, and they’ve made themselves available as a resource for anyone thinking about getting into beekeeping.

According to Kutiks Everything Bees Co-Owner and Operator Lindsey Moroch, Kutik’s Everything Bees has been family owned and operated since 1978, and it all began with Owner Chuck Kutik receiving two bee hives as a Christmas present.

She said as his apiary grew, Kutik recognized the difficulty of keeping bees in New York State and shortly after moved 30 colonies to South Carolina for the winter. She added from there the organization grew, and they continue to be one of the largest providers of nucs which are full hives ready to go, on this side of the nation.

“We’re the largest apiary in the state, one of the largest providers of nucs on the east coast, and one of the most diverse beekeeping operations in the country,” said Moroch. “We came back to and stayed in this community because we love it and it’s our home.”

Moroch said after spending the winter in South Carolina, the hives are brought back to New York for apple crop pollination in the Lake Ontario orchard belt, then to honey production locations in the Mohawk Valley region.

She said the extraction and bottling operation began in 1979, and since then they’ve only heated the honey enough to pump and strain it unlike the temperatures used in supermarket honey.